Article sorting device



.Sept 23; 1952 H. w. sAwYER ETAL 2,611,484

ARTICLE SORTING DEVICE Filed Jan. 18, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 l j, Hlm/Y WSHWVf/f '0770 Jc//fuf/ymm' swf 23, 1952 H. w. sAwYER ETAL 2,611,484

ARTICLE soRTIN DEVICE Filed Jan. 18. 1951 .'s sheets-stmt 2 g l l l Sept. 23, 1952 H. w. sAwYER ETAL 2,611,484

ARTICLE SORTING DEVICE l Filed Jan. 18, 1951 s' sheets-sheet s Patented Sept. 23,

ARTICLE SORTING DEVICE Hilon W. Sawyer, Nutley, and Otto Schellen-i berger, Paterson, N. J., assignors to Thomson Machine Company, Belleville, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 18, 1951, Serial No. 206,662

6 Claims. 1

In the handling of rolls or loaves of dough, for example, in panning the rolls, sometimes two of the rolls become stuck together, forming a socalled double, which, if it is not removed from the machine, interferes with the handling of subsequent rolls; and the present invention relates particularly to mechanism for eliminating or ejecting such doubles from the dough-handling machine.

It is, of course, desirable that the dough rolls be handled as rapidly as possible to insure economical operation of the machine, and obviously, if the rolls are to be passed through the machine at a high rate of speed, for example, 180 per minute, it is necessary that the doubles be rapidly, if not almost instantaneously, disposed of. Therefore, a prime object of the present invention is to provide novel and improved means for eliminating or ejectingdoubles from dough-handling machines rapidly and reliably.

The invention contemplates a doubles eliminating mechanism wherein the dough rolls shall be caused to move over a guide surface or table comprising a plurality of sections relatively movably mounted so that when a double rolls over the table, said sections shall be automatically actuated to provide an opening between them through which the double may be ejected, the-sections being so connected that they shall be simultaneously moved to form said opening for passage of the double almost instantaneously.

The table sections are mounted and connected so that they will remain in the same plane and permit free movement of a normal roll thereover but will be actuated automatically by the excess weight of a double to form the discharge opening for the double. But another object of the invention is to provide additional means for accelerating the actuation of the table sections and the movement of the double between said sections.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will be brought out by the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a doughhandling machine embodying the invention, taken approximately on the plane of the line l-I of Figure 2 with the roll feeding conveyor omitted.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure 1 with one of the endless conveyors omitted for clearness in illustration.Y

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view approximately on the plane of the linev 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view on a reduced scale approximately o n the plane of the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View approximately on the plane of the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 5 6 of Figure 1 showing parts of the machine in the positions assumed during operation with normal rolls.

Figure 7 is a similar vieu/'showing the parts of the doubles eliminating mechanism inthe position assumed during the ejection of a double.

Figure 8 is a detached perspective view of portions -of the table of the dough eliminating mechanism. i

Figure 9 is a similar view of the other portions of the table, and

Figure 10 isa detached perspective View of the link for connecting the two relatively movable table sections.

Specically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the machine includes a roll feeding conveyor A which comprises an endless canvas belt driven in any suitable manner so as to feed dough rolls B to the table C of the doubles eliminating mechanism embodying the invention from which the roll-s are discharged by gravity onto a takeaway or transfer conveyor D which may be like the conveyor A. -These conveyors and the doubles eliminating mechanism will be mounted on a suitable `framework -or support, only portions E and F of which are shown.

The doubles eliminating mechanism includes a frame comprising two side pieces I that are connected by a top bar 2, said side pieces being mounted on the portion E-of the main support. The doubles eliminating table C comprises a section 3 that has pivot trunnions 4 mounted in openings 5 in the side pieces l, and another section 6 normally mounted in the same plane with the section 3 and hingedly yconnected at l to a crossbar `601. mounted on the side piecesA l. 'The two table sections 3 and 6 are inclined from the discharge end of the feeding conveyor A to a point above the receiving end of the transfer conveyor D and are adapted to receive the rolls B at the higher edge thereof, the rolls being deposited on the table C from the feeding conveyor.

The tWo sections 3 and 6 are connected together and mounted on the side pieces I so that normally they will remain in a common inclined plane and permit the normal rolls B to roll thereover, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, but to swing relatively to Aeach other when an abnormal or double roll G havingexcess weight, drops onto the table section 3, as shown inv Figure '7, so as to form a discharge opening J lbetween theadjacent edges of the table sections through which the double may drop by gravity into a receiving drawer or other suitable receptacle H, as shown. The sections are so connected and mounted that simultaneously the section 3 will swing downwardly and the section 6 will swing upwardly, as shown in Figure 7, the connection between the sections comprising an arm 8 on the section 6 and an arm 9 on the section 3, and a link I pivotally connecting said arms. A tension spring II is connected to an arm I2 on the section 3 so as normally to hold the tablesections in .their common plane, a stop screw`|3 being mounted in one of the side pieces I to ybe engaged by 'said arm I2 for limiting the movement of the table sections under the influence of said spring. The tension of the spring I I is adjustable by the screw I I a to set the table sections for tilting under rolls of different weights.

As lheretofore stated, it is desirable that the rolls be`fed-or 'conveyedat a'high rate o'f'speed, for example, `180 per minute, and the invention contemplates novel means for accelerating the relative movement of the'table sections '3 and 6 to `insure that the doubles shall be almost instantaneously ejected 'through the discharge opening ll.

This means is shown as comprisinga knurled roller I'4which'isjournalled'in ayoke I5 which, in turn,'is mountedon slide guide rods I6. in guide cheeks II on '.th'e sidepieces `I,vsprings I8 normally holding the .yoke at its upper position in engagement with a stop screw I9 and with the periphery of Vthe roll I4 vspaced from lthe table sections a distance slightly greater 'than the diameter of a normal dough roll 1B. `The stop screw I9 screwed irl-the vtop bar 2 andhas a handle 2U for convenient adjustment to set the roller I4 -in the desired spaced relation to the tableA C. Aflock nut 2Ivis provided for holding ther screwin-adj usted positions.

The roller I4 is driven at `high speed, for example, 400 R.P. M.,fin lthedirectionof the arrows so that when the-periphery-.of the roller engages a double, it -willpropelthesroll through the discharge -openingJ, as shown-in vFigure 7. The rollermay be driven by any suitablevmeans but it is `shown as `carried -by-a shaft 22 ywhich is journalled -in the .-yoke .I and passes through slots 24 in the sidecpieces I, and has a-belt-and pulley connection 23 with any suitable source'of power.

In'operation of lthe machine, vdough rolls of normal-diameter'will freely roll over the table C from'the feeding conveyor A-to the'transfer conveyorD, butwhen a dough lroll of greater than normal diameter'orweight, for example, a double, reaches the periphery of the 4roller I4, gravity and the -roller will simultaneously act upon the dough roll to almost instantaneously swing the table sections 'Band 6 relative to'each other to form the discharge opening J and'at the same time nip the dough `roll quickly through the discharge opening into 'the receptacle H. This operation is extremely rapid and has been found to take care of doubles when the rolls' are being fed at a rate of 180 per minute, which is a striking result when compared with the operation of doubles eliminators heretofore known to us.

While we have shown and described the invention as embodied in certain structural details, it will be understood that this is primarily for the purpose of illustrating the now preferred form of the invention'and that many modifications 4 and changes may be made in the construction of the machine and the adaptation of the doubles eliminator mechanism to other types of article handling machines within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while preferably the table sections 3 and .6- are arranged .so that the lower Vsection 6 swings upwardly and the upper section swings downwardly, the sections might be arranged to move in other ways to form the discharge opening between the adjacent edges thereof.

We claim:

' A J1. 'The -combination of a support, a table comprising' uat least two sections normaly disposed infedge toedge relation in a common plane and relatively movably mounted on said support so Vthat theadjacentedge portions thereof can move simultaneously in opposite directions out of said plane to form an opening between them for ejection of certain articles from the tablemecha nism'holding said'table sectionsfin said common plane sothat articles of'predetermined size may roll completely Aacross Vthe-'table 'in .-a direction transverse of said edges ,ofltliesections and .providing forsaid-relative movement of saidsections upon movement ofv larger articles-.onto-said table to cause ejection .o'f saidflargerarticles.through said opening between 'saidsectionsr arcller journaled on saidy supportlparalleltoand iabove .said table with ,its periphery spacedifromftheftablea distance greater l and less .than the `diameters of the .first-mentioned articles and @said :larger articlesresp'ective'ly, .and meanslfor l:rotatingsaid roller -so that the Llarger Avarticles -willbefengaged by the periphery1 of. the rollenandrprojected thereby through f said discharge opening.`

A2. The combinationofa supportVa-table-comprising at least two sectionsinormally-disposed in edge to edge.relationin'facommon,plane-and relatively movably f mounted on said i support so thatthe adjacent` edge4 portions 'thereof carrmove simultaneously inopposite directions out of said plane to form 4an opening ,between '.them `for ejection of certainarticles-fromthetableVmechanismiholdingsaid tablersections-in said-.common plane so that `articles of Lpredeterminedgsize:may roll completely across ythe 'table vinfadirection transverse-of .said edgesof thelseotions andsproviding for said relativemovement of: saidsections upon movement ofi larger articles .onto' said `table to cause ejection of said larger :articles `:through said opening betweensaid .sectionsfsaid table sections lbeing hingedly mounted, on. said .support in an inclined plane to Acause imovement of f-said articles by gravity over timetable, .andthe ,upper table section being. swingable downwardly` out i ofsaid plane, a `roller journaled -on .said `:support paralleLto and. above -saidl-tableiwith its;periphery spaced from thetablelaA distance greater. andlless than the diameters of the first-mentioned articles andv said larger-articles respectively, and/means for rotating said roller so that .theilarger'articies will be engagedrby the: peripheryl of .the rcllerand projected thereby-.throughsaid discharge opening.

3. The .combinationl of a -support,: aftable .comprising .at least' two sections normally,` disposed' in edge rtoedge relation r in a common plane and relatively :movably mounted f on .-said lsupport so thatthe adjacent,edge-.portionsthereof can. move simultaneously in oppositadirections out of'said plane to form -an opening` between ythem for-ejection ofy certain -xarticles'-from\-the .table,. mechanism holding saidf table-sectionsjin said .common plane-,so .that articles' of.. predetermnedfsize may roll completely across thetable inia :direction '5 transverse of said edges of the sections and pro;

viding for said relative movement of said sections' upon movement of largervi articles onto saidftable to cause ejection of said larger articles through said opening betweenjsaid sections, said mecha'- nism including a connection between said' seca tions to cause simultaneous movement thereof and means yieldingly resisting said movement of one of said table sections out of said plane.`.1` a roller journaled on saldisupport parallel to and above said table withlitsv periphery spaced' from the table a distance "greater and less than the diameters of the flrsftlfmentioned articles vand said larger articles respectively, and mea"v rotating said roller sov that the larger articl be engaged by the periphery of the roller and projected thereby through said discharge opening:-

4. The combination `'of a support, a table comprising at least two sections normally dispsfed in edge to edge relation in acommon plane and relatively movably mountedon said support` sol-that the adjacent edge' portions thereof canfmove simultaneously in opposite directions out 'of said plane to form an opening between them ,for ejection of certain articles "from the tableflinechanism holding said table sections in said 'common plane so that articlesof predetermined sizefmay roll completely across` the table in a direction transverse of said edges''of the sections v'i'r id .pro viding for said relative movement of saiCi-iSBC'tions upon movement of larger articles onto said-"table to cause ejection of said larger articlesvthrough said opening betweensaid sections, saidtable sections being hingedfly mounted on said support in an inclined planeto'cause movementpf said articles by gravity over'the table, and theiupper table section being 's'wingable downwardly out of said plane, and said mechanism comprising an `arm rigidly connected 'to each table section, a

link pivotally connectingr said arms, arfid'frneans yieldingly resisting said movement o oef'of said table sections. if,

5. The combinationof a support, a tab comprising at least two sectionsl normall f l in edge to edge relation in a common p relatively movably mounted on said sl that theadjacent edgeportions thereof 'fj simultaneously in opposite directions oiijof said plane to form an opening between them for ejection of certain articles from the table, mechanism holding said table sections in said common plane so that articles of predetermined size may roll completely across the table inja. direction transverse of said edges of the sections and providing for said relative movementA ofl said sectionsupon movement of larger articles onto said table to cause ejection of said larger articles through saidopening between said'rfse'ctions, said table sections being hingedly mounted on said support in an inclined plane to caus movement of said articles by gravity over the table, and the upper table section being swingable downwardly out of said plane, and said mechanis comprising an arm rigidly connected to each ta e section, a link pivotally connecting said arms ye'cond arm on one of said table sections, a spring having one end connected to said second armfin'eans connecting Athe other end of said spring to said support, whereby one of said table sections is normally actuated by said spring in :the direction opposite to the direction of said mov ment out of said plane. and stop means for li ting movement of said section by said spring 'to'` locate said section normally in said plane.

6. The combination as defined in claim 5 with addition of a roller journaled on y parallel to and above said table w spaced from the table a distance g1 ater and less than the diameters of said first-mentioned articles and said larger articles respectively, and means for rotating said roller so that the larger articles will be engaged by the periphery ofthe roller and projected thereby through said discharge opening. 1

HILON w. SAWYER. VoT'ro SCHELLENBERGER.

REFERENCES CITED f The following references are oi'qrcord in the flle of this patent: 1

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

